The Seeds of Evil
by S.Ann Smith
Summary: Based after Lana Moves in with Chloe...... on Chloe loving someone, abandoning someone and finding someone....Chlex.....*~Finnished~*
1. Chapter one:Trouble in Paradise

Author note: Okay i've written the first few chapters of this story, but haven't finnished typing them so I hope you enjoy this.... My comp is skrewed so the BOLD UNDERLINE and ITALICs aren't working...I'll download a new word processor soon... then I'll re upload for u ppls... Feed back on the first chapter is always appreciated... ^-^... New chapter to be posted soon.... 

The Seeds of Evil

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by S. Ann Smith

Chapter one: Trouble in Chloe-ville

Chloe Sullivan didn't even have to see him in the corner of her eye to know that he was behind her. 

_What does he want now? _Her mind questioned angrily, as she pretended not to hear his pleading voice call her.

But how could she? The he in question was of course, _the_ _Magnificent_ Clark Kent,swimming jock-superstar ,her best frend, her heart urged, begging her to for once listen to it. But Chloe couldn't forgive him, her minds logic nature told her. It was _him_ that had walked out on _her_ at the Spring Formal, the disobeying mind continued, convieniently leaving out the point about saving Lana. But now... she had caught him in a moment of weakness. When he saw her there.... No,.. she couldn`t think about that now... her achingly broken heart urged. But how could she block out what she had just witnessed?

_Clark and Lana in the Torch office._ Her mind rambled ignoring her pleas to stop. They were just outside the room where her Wall-Of-Weird dwelled insanely peaceful and ignorant to what was surrounding it. _But worse of all, _Chloe reflected with a tinge of angst in her cynical mind, _they were kissing_. Her thoughts blurred with the image she had been fighting, her vision was blurred by the sudden outburst of tears coming straight form her broken heart.

But none the less, both of their eyes had seen Chloe standing there. Her best friend, and her roommate,and new friend, together. although Chloe had known that it was inevidable, she still felt betrayed, and hurt.

All four of them(Pete included) had known Chloe's feelings towards Clark, but only Chloe and Lana had known Lana's well hidden feelings towards Clark.

The image of them kissing in Chloe's office was not only stuck in Chloe's mind, like a pesky Polaroid photo that kept coming back to haunt her, and also the thought of the two of them just plain made her stomache churn angrily.

Chloe shook her head tying to clear the damned image from her mind.

"What's wrong Chloe?" She heard from somewhere in front of her. There was a tinge of earnestness and a note of something she couldn't quite recognize. She didn't even have to look up to know who the voice belonged to.

Lex Luthor stood infront of her, with a look of complete sincerity, or at least the most sincere look the twenty-one year old bald, billionaire, play-boy could muster, that is.

He had come to Smallville high to contribute money to Clark's next swim meet, and of courese to raise a little high school.

But he had spotted the mournful look on Chloe's face. Something was obviously wrong.

"Lex, what are you doing here?" Chloe asked, quickly rubbing the tears from her reddened tearstained cheeks, avoiding his question. She tucked a blonde lock behind her ear.

"Answer my question." He urged monotonally.

"It's nothing." Chloe looked to the grass.

"Chloe!" Clark had noticed the two of them standing in the middle of the student parking lot. But who hadn't noticed the richest, most powerful man in Smallville talking to the distressed, sassy, and most cynical reporter in the Smallville High Torch's history.

Clark rushed over, but stopped when Chloe spoke to him.

"Go away Clark, I con't even want to have to look at you right now." She spat angrily to her now hurt best friend. He turned and walked away, his head turned shamefully towards the cement path back to the school.

"So, '_it_' involves Clark." Lex said mischieviously looking into Chloe's hazel eyes.

"Yes." Chloe said painfully looking up from the uninterestingly green grass tio meet his gaze.

She cleared her throat indicating the awkward feeling that had begun to grow from deep in her stomache. All she could feel was the fire in Lex's eyes.

_Lex is Dad's boss.... Why is he looking at me like that?...Could he..... no, he couldn't.... _her usually keen mind babled to her.

"Let me take you to dinner tonight." Lex said looking at her....._What the hell? _her mind was now officially confused, and her face obviously had shown it."you look like you need someone to talk to."He finnished carefully.

Chloe had nothing to say, due to the sheer amount of shock that was now coursing through her entire body.

"Alright." Her voice decided not to make strange noises of disbelief and listen to it's superior , the mind. Besides, Chloe thought quickly reassuring herself that Lex was right, she did need someone to talk to, and Pete really wouldn't understand.

"I'll pick you up at seven." Lex said, a smile creeping onto his face.

Chloe looked deeply into the eyes of the richest, eligible bachelor in all of Smallville, and possibly the entire world. "My house," Her voice continued still in disbelief,"Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah." She looked at him with a new look of shock." I drove Lana home last week from the Talon."

"Right." She found her eyes wandering from Lex's mysterious eyes, and soon found herself looking at the silken fabric of his light blue shirt, to his fitted black slacks, and Oh God was she checking out her Dad's boss? She quickly looked back up to Lex's perfectly oval face.

It was then Chloe realized she was staring. She blinked back to reality, it seemed, and smiled selfconciously.

" Good," He smiled. _Does he know I was staring? _Her mind continued aimlessly blabbering once again. "I'll see you then." _He seems to be skiping away humming_, she mused.

Chloe avoided Clark and Lana for the rest of the day, and avoided the whispers from the student body that had witnessed Chloe talking to Lex.


	2. Chapter two:The good Side of Life

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Author's note: as you've probably guessed, I found a new word processor...... I have _Italics_ Underlinesand **bold **print now.... I'm very happy.....

thank yous to:Aeris-chan,perejil_tuk, and Penelope.... I don't think I've actually had so many positive reviews in _the_ day the story was posted.........^_____^

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Italics Underlinesand **bolds!**_Italics_ Underlinesand **bolds! **Sorry it's been so long since I've had _Italics_ Underlinesand **bolds **!!! 

The Seeds of Evil

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by S. Ann Smith

Chapter two: The Good Side of Things

Chloe stood infront of the bathroom mirror in a black mini-borrowed from Lana- and a green halter that she didn't know she still owned. In her left hand she held a hanger, with a red dress on it.

She cocked her head to the right , undecided.

"You should wear the Red one." Lana said leaning on the door frame.

"And why is that?" Chloe asked, not looking at her, but through her instead.

"Becaus you obviously want to impress this hot date of your's. You've been primping for an hour and have tried on like seventeen outfits!"

"Fourteen." she corrected, it was a bad habit of her's, that she's always had.

"He must be important to you then." Lana looked directly at her, Chloe looked back at herself in the mirror, avoiding Lana's luminecent eyes. They shone intensely because of the small bulb hanging above the mirror.

__

Perky? Chloe looked at the green and black._ Sexy?_ She held the red dress up to her._ Perky? Sexy?_ She did again. Then the most important question in her life popped in to her head,_Can I be sexy?_

"You wouldn't go through this much trouble for any guy!" Lana's brutally honest fashion showed through. "So, who's the lucky guy?" She asked after a long and awkward pause.

"Why? Are you going to steal _Him_ away from me too?"Chloe regretted saying the words as soon as she saw the hurt look on Lana's face.

"I thought I'd like to be the first one to say this before you hear it at school in the Gossip pools.... Chloe, Clark asked me to go out with him. Alright? It wasn't just a fling-thing to hurt you..." Her voice trailed almost endlessly away.  
"But it did" Chloe said quietly. Then, "Lex." she belately answered Lana's previous question.

"Hm?" Lana had a look of extreme confusion on her face. It wasn't that becoming of her. Chloe thought with a chipper tone.

"I'm going on a date with Lex." Chloe matter-of-factly answered.

"Impressive," Lana smiled," I think you got one of the better fish in the sea." her smile changed into an evil smirk, "Wear the red." Lana turned to leave.

"Lana, just one thing before you go," Chloe quickly said catching Lana at the door.

"Yeah?"

"Can you wake me up if I'm dreaming," She said sincerely without a single tinge of anything, which was strange for Chloe.

"Alright," Lana said with a smile on her face. "But you're not dreaming." 

"Oh God! What am I going to do then?" Chloe pannicked, looking at her watch. 6:50 "Lex'll be here in ten minnutes!" Chloe ran to the window in her living room. No headlights yet. So far she was safe.

She quickly scribbled a note to her dad and changed into the red dress while simultaneously putting on a pair of Lana's strappy red high heels.

Chloe stumbled around for awhile in them, and decided on a pair of red Mary Janes. 

Her mother had left them behind along with her. She kept them in a cedar box in her closet along with the remenants of her mother that was left behind, her mother's engagement and wedding rings, some old photographs,a locket with a picture of her mother and father when they were young, and her mother's wedding dress.

"I wish you were here to see me now, mom," Chloe said sadly and kissed the side of the box gently. She quickly and carefully slid the box into the back of her closet after hearing the front door open and Lana greet Lex.

"Is Chloe ready?"Lex asked shyly. This obviously was a side of Lex nobody ever was supposed to see. _Lex Luthor,- Shy? Isn't that an oxymoron?_ Chloe thought to herself. She covered her mouth to stifle the laughter that she knew was on it's way out. Chloe regained her composure and put a fresh coat of strawberry lip gloss on, as her previous coat was now all over her hand. She wiped the gloss off of her hand with a kleenex, and walked as calmly as she could into her living room.

Her breath seemed to not want to come to her, and had mysteriously escaped her, when she seen him standing there. Lex wore a black statin button down shirt and simmilar pants to earlier. He wore shiny black leather shoes, and Chloe noted, a white tie.

"Hello, m'lady." Lex smiled,"Don't worry Ms.Lang I'll have her back by her curfew, and say hi to Mr. Sullivan for me." 

Lex held out an arm nobley and smiled when Chloe took it.

"Good by kids, have fun." Lana called closing the door.

"You look beautiful Chloe." Lex said to her as they walked down the path to Lex's car.

It was abeautiful car, obviously vintage, Chloe noted to herself. She saw when Lex opened the door that the interior was deep silver.

"I have to make one stop first alright?"

"Sure," Chloe smiled,

They dorve along a long dark road with big trees on either side. 

"Just a little further," Lex said after avout fifteen minnutes.

He turned into a small driveway and soon they stopped in front of an industrial park fenced off in the middle of a field. There was a sign that read LexCorp.

"Stay here, I'll be a few," He opened the door, and crouched to look in the door, "Stay beautiful." He smiled standing up completely outside of the car.

"I'll try," Chloe smiled_. He was a real charmer._ Chloe mused to herself,_ really knows how to flirt._

She caught herself staring at Lex's butt as he gracefully strode infront of the headlights. She blushed in the dark and busied herself by playing with her sweater, that Lana insisted on her wearing, and fixing her hair.

Chloe stared out the window towards the small trailer that Lex had entered. She watched the shadows and realized one thing. She hadn't htought about Clark for an hour. _Dammit! _Chloe swore in her head,_ I broke the perfect chain._

She watched the bald shadow, whom she assumed was Lex move towards the door. The seccond shadow followed then, Lex's shadow turned towards the mysterious shadow, before they both dissappeared behind the solid wall. _I wish I could see through walls...I wonder what that would be like?_ She smiled, because of course that wasn't possible, she was just being silly.

A few minnutes later, Lex an Chloe were on that long dark road towards the Grandville/Smallville/Metropolis intersection. 

They pulled into a small yet fancy Italian restaurant,a long Grandville's main street.

"M'lady, you dinner awaits," Lex's voice sounded like it was smiling.

Who is the mysterious man that Lex was talking to? How will the date turn out? Only time will tell.....

Sorry just had to put something to keep y'all on the cliff hanger.. just wait till CH 3 Kay?


	3. Chapter three: A date with Destiny

Author note: THANK YOU FOR THE PATIENT PPL!!... and the not so patient ppl......... Any ways.... Just lettin ya know that I was just away for the holidays(possibly abducted by Aliens, B/C I seem to have lost at least three days of my holidays), and work was keeping me from being the good person that keeps posting.... Thanx to the new reviewers.... All two of you... oh well......^_^ reviews are reviews.... I'll stop talking now and let you all get ur _Seeds of Evil _fix for the day.....Okay I won't keep you from this much longer...... Ur all probably thinking... finally, 

Here it is the long awaited chapter three in:

The Seeds of Evil

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by S. Ann Smith  


Chapter three: A Date With Lexiny

Chloe sat across the small table from Lex. There were candles, and it was a dimly lit room. The flickering candle flames made his eyes seem to glow.

Chloe realized she was staring again and looked down at the menu.

She had been here once before, a long tiem ago. With both her parents, but then it was a small Burger joint. Mr. Happy Burger's Heaven. Chloe smiled fondly recollecting her long lost memory.

"You look even more beautiful whtn you smile." Lex said, his voice snapping her back to teh now. He leaned towards her. "Let me pick dinner," He put his hand ontop of the menu.

Chloe smiled again and looked down at the menu. Each dish was at least thirty dollars, she marvelled, she would never have come back here at that price. Lex watched her face as he took the menu from her hands.

"What do you want to drink? Lex asked looking intently at her. His eyes had never left her face.

"Shirly Temple." She replied returning a simmilar look.

" Just as I thought." he smiled.

She watched him order drinks with an air of superiority, almost like they were the most important people in the world. Chloe thought it was good change. She was tierde of playing seccond fiddle.

Lex ordered some fancy Italian pasta dish for the two of them that she had only read about. 

"So Chloe why were you upset earlier?" he asked his attention redrawn towards her.

"It's nothing." _Why would he want to know about my trivial problems? He has a company to run._

__

"No, it's sometyhing." He said softly,"Clark told me what happened." His voice deepened and got quieter, "you don't have to lie to me," he paused, "when you lie the corner of your lips twich. Right here."he brought his finger to her lip. She watched his eyes. They shone with a fire of something that Chloe never thought someone would have for her. Then, as if she burned him, his hand abruptly moved away from her mouth."I'll never lie to you, so don't feel you have to lie to me."

"I thought I was over him alright?" She said small tears coming to her eyes. She tried to fight the lump growing in her throat. "Is this why you brought me here?" She cried quietly not wanting to draw more attention to them.

"No Chloe, I brought you here..." Lex stands, coming to her side"... so I could kiss you." He moved closer to her, but Chloe was still reeling from the shock of what she just heard. _Kiss me?_

She watched him, her eyes refused to leave his. Dhloe felt the warmth of his breath, her heart fluttered furiously in her chest.

_I think I just stepped into the twilight zone._

Chloe saw a blinding flash of light. She blinked trying vainly to regain her vision.

"Daily Planet." a bubbly voice said "Mr. Luthor would you like to make a statement?"

Lex stood infront of Chloe protectively,sheilding her from the cameras.

"No," Lex stated angrily.Chloe felt she could read his thoughts,_let them make their ownstory, they're going to anyways._ "All I want is to finnish off my date. Now _go_ **_away_**." Lex said still obviously _Very_ angry.

The reporters surprisingly backed away and loaded the booths around them. But Lex and Chloe still got their dinners and a chance to eat in peace, even if their conversation was now being taperecorded by the thirty-some-odd taperecorders that seemed to halo them and their table.

"We'll finnish the CK issue in the car." Lex whispered, looking directly at her hazel eyes, when the bill came.

Chloe nodded,and watched Lex take out a crisp hundred dollar, and place it under the cheque tray.

The server came and Lex whispered into his ear. The boy, no younger than herself, Chloe noted, nodded. Without saying a word Lex stood up, and motioned for Chloe to do the same. Lex grabbed her hand, his hand warm but not clammy, and pulled her gently out of the restaurant and away from the prying eyes of the Daily Planet and the other nosy reporters.

"Finnally some serenity." Lex said in his usual monotonal tone. "I hate press. They're always digging their noses into other peoples lives..." Chloe raised an eyebrow, looking at him,and at the convinning smile was now on Lex's face."But I don't hate the Torch." Chloe smiled at his honesty.

They sped out of the parkinglot, in Lex's mercedes, leaving behind a thick cloud of dust. They left behind a crowd of shocked reporters, as they headed towards Smallville and the end of their date.

"Why were you so hurt by what Clark and Lana did?" Lex asked breaking the moment of awkward silence as he turned down the road that would take them to busy downtown Smallville, if of course,Smallville could be considered having a _busy _downtown.

"I told you already," Chloe said quietly, avoiding his eyes, "I wasn't over Clark and Lana's my friend."

"But you're _over_ Clark now, right?" Lex asked, and Chloe noticed that there was a hint of something un-Lex like, in the way he asked her. _Does Lex really want to know?  
_There was silence in the car, and Chloe wondered if she had spoke it aloud. She sometimes had a tendancy to do that.They slowed down to let a car turn onto the road. 

"I _think_ so_._" she said carefully, looking at him, his eyes were trained on her, he looked back on the road quickly, and sped up to pass the car, the occupants called Lex an asshole, but he didn't seem to hear the quiet voices through the car, even though Chloe heard it clearly. _He's ignoring them_.

"That's good. Although it's not good for Clark."

"Why is that?"

"Because he doesn't have you." Lex said quietly.

The usually very articulate Chloe Sullivan had nothing to say to that.

Lex turned down Chloe's driveway, and stopped at the mailbox, by the main road.

He turned towards her and she could see a faint smile on his face in the dim light. She felt an almost magnetic pull, pulling her towards him. 

When their lips met, she felt the hunger, she had thought was for Clark, awaken. Lex pressed his tongue to her lips, begging them to relent. She did, and their tongues touched almost sensually, Chloe didn;t even notice, or care that his hand was around her waist pulling her closer. The other, was undoing her seatbelt.

There was a knock on the window.

"Chloe?" Lana's muffled voice called, sending her and Lex, crashing down to earth. Chloe's face turned red, as she gently pushed Lex away.

"Lana?" Chloe asked after pushing the window's down button. Lex's hands were now on her knee.

"You're dad's home, and curfew's in five." Chloe looked down at her watch.10:55.

"So it is." She smiled feeling her face slowly return back to it's normal color, she looked at Lex and blushed again realizing what had happened..

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said quietly. Chloe nodded, speachless. Lex grabbed her hand quickly as she had turned to leave. She turned, facing him again. He kissed it gently. "Good bye Chloe."

"Bye." She said just as quietly; as she got out of the car.

Neither girl said anything until they were almost at the house, and Lex's car had dissappeared.

"I'm guessing that your date went well." Lana said.

"Yeah." Chloe smlied.

"I told you to wear the red dress." Lana said all-knowingly,as if she knew what was going to happen, as she opened the door.

Gabe Sullivan was sitting in the living room of their two-storey-house. Greying at the temples, the years of fertilizer work had aged him quickly, far quicker than if they still lived in the City. But of course, Chloe's mother leaving hadn't made him any younger, either.

It was like God had given him another light, when Lana came to live with them. There was now someone else to care for, someone else to be a close friend with Chloe. A confident for her.

"How was your date honey?" He asked when he saw the two girls walk in.

"Fine Dad." She said monotonally.

"God! You sound like my boss!" 

At this Lana giggled and turned up the stairs tto her room.

"Sorry Dad."

"just as long as I get to meet this mystery date, to give him the what for when it comes to dating my daughter."

"You will Dad." Chloe nodded. _Even though you already do know him._

"Good, now off to bed, you have School in the morning, and I don't want to face the wrath of Chloe-in-the-morning alright?"

Chloe smiled. "You say it like it's a bad thing." Chloe turned to the stairs, and went down the hallway at the top. 

Lana's room was dark when she went by it.

Chloe climbed into bed,after quickly brushing her teeth, and ridding her hair of the evils of hairspray. She sighed deeply to herself and lay down, once she rolled over she was quickly in dreamland, dreaming about Lex and that awesome kiss that was still lingering on her lips and hand. 

She smiled to herself, and was soon asleep.

Author's note: Well waddya think???? Please let me know.........Ch 4 soon to come..... ^_______^ (and please read my new original fantasy if you have time, cause I need to know if I should continue it....... but of course if you don't want I completely understand.) 


	4. Chapter four: Lifestyles of the Rich and...

Author note: THANK YOUS to the Reviewers....and the readers who don't review, I guess...... Okay this is up faster than Ch 3 now isn't it. *looks off into the corner at some invisible puppet* Yes it is........

The Seeds of Evil

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by S. Ann Smith

Chapter four: Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous(sorry don't have a creative title today)

Chloe didn't hear him come into the Torch office.

"What is this?" Clark held out the latest copy of a newspaper.

Chloe looked at the title,"Daily Planet" she replied and went back to her article on the latest freak of the week.

"No, _this_" Clark held up the full front page.

Above a very unflattering picture of Lex and Chloe, was the headline, 'Who is the mysterious new girlfriend of Luthor Heir?' In the picture, Lex was holding her hand to his mouth.

"Oh my God!" Chloe turned several shades of red, as she brought her hand to the gaping hole that used to be her mouth.

"Do you _dare_ to explain why Lex is..." His eyes reminded Chloe of those of a hurt puppy. ".....why Lex is kissing your.. your hand?" 

"Do you _dare _to explain why you kissed Lana.."Chloe marched over to the spot that she had tried to avoided yesterday. "...right here?" She ferociously shot back. 

Clark looked away avoiding Chloe's eyes. "So... you were trying to pay me back for kissing Lana?"

"No.. Lex was there... and.. he wasn't you..... and he actually sees that my heart is real." Chloe yelled at him. She didn't mean to yell at her best friend, it just came out that way.

Clark turned to leave. "I see that your heart is real, Chloe, but..."

"But I'm not Lana." She finnished. It was something that she had been meaning to say to him for the longest time. When she saw the look of hurt in her Clark's eyes when he turned, she wished she had kept it inside for alot longer.

"You're my friend Chloe.. or at least I thought you were." Clark said as he walked out.

Chloe fell to her knees. Tears streaming down her face. "So did I." She whispered to herself.

She didn't know how much time had elapsed,or how long she had sayed in that spot, but she did know that she felt completely alone, and like somebody had died.

Chloe lay down underneath her desk, and culed herself into the fetal position, She had done this when her father had told her that her mother was gone, and never coming back. She closed her eyes.

It was lunchitme when Pete came to see her. He found her like this and crawled underneath teh desk with her.

"Hey movie star, how're you doing?"

Chloe looked away angrily. "I feel like a monster.I'm evil you don't want to be near me. I think it's contagious." 

Pete laughed. " You can't be that evil. And besides, I don't care. You're still Chloe." He smiled. "Though I do think you have strange taste in men." She turned towards him, and looked into his dark Chocolate eyes. "And besides," He reached above them onto the table, "it _is_ a very flattering article." he said, bringing down the said newspaper, that brought Chloe's world to a pitiful down point.

"I'm thinking about garbaging it if you want it." She said bitterly.

"I've already got my own copy. I've decided to start a collection." He continued with a silly smile. " Daily Planet, Iquisitor, the Globe, oh and of course, the Torch."

Chloe felt speachless. It was an angry speachless. Was she really in all those newspapers? She felt like an exploited child.

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I wonder if she's seen; what I can do; who I can have love me if she won't. Her mind thought against her will not to remember.

She then got a brilliant idea. Which, upon reflection, didn't seem too brilliant.

"Pete can you pass me the phone?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It'll cost you..." He smiled devillishly "..a hug."

She relented and gave Pete a hug.

Pete was glad that Chloe was ambitious again, even though he had no clue what had brought on the sudden change in attitude. None the less he groped the tabel top for the phone, then, he handed it to her.

"Hey Lex?" Pete was amazed at the sudden chipperness in Chloe's voice. "I need to ask you for a favour."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"And what would that be?" came the responce in Chloe's ear.

"I need you to help me find someone." She replied. She knew where she was, but that was two years ago, she needed to know where she was now.

She heard the door close, the squeak of a leather chair, and the stop of feet on the other end. Lex was obviously getting comfortable."

"And who is this?" He seemed very intrigued.

"Her name is Charlotte Sullivan*"

"A relation I assume."

"No. She's just my mother." She looked at Pete who was looking at her with slight shock.

There was a pause on the other end.

"Are you sure you'll find her the way she was when you last remember her?"

"I _can't _ remember her." She said ,tears springing to her hazel eyes. Pete, almost instantaneously, grabbed her a Kleenex from the table and handed it to her. 

"I'll see what I can find." He said uncertain if he should help her or not. "Is there a maiden name I can use??"

"Henning*"

"I'll meet you at the Talon at three-thirty if I find anything, okay?"

"Alright, but I'll see you then anyways right?"

"Of course, Chloe." He said her name like it was that of a delicate flower. "I have a meeting with my father now, alright? I'll see you then. Now go back to class." His voice smiled over the phone.

"Bye Lex." Chloe hung up.

"He's not going to help you is he?"

She nodded, "he is."

Pete got up from uner the desk and held out a kind hand. Chloe took it and was back on her feet.

She placed the newspaper in the desk drawer, so she could read the other articles.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"As-a-matter-of-fact Peter Ross.... I'm not." She looked down.

"But I'm willing to pretend to be sure about it."She looked up at him and smiled, wiping away her tears. "And really that's all that matters in the world now-a-days right?"

"Right," Pete smiled, "How about I treat you to a coffee in our spare?" Chloe smiled. Her spare was for the Torch, and Pete's spare was study hall, he was willing to miss his much needed study block to buy her coffee. _What a good best friend. Clark should take lessons from him. _She smiled.

"Sounds good," she looked at her watch, 1:30, she had two hours until she would meet up with Lex, and an hour until her spare, she hoped she would survive the rest of the day.

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Author's Note: Okay is it actually known who Chloe's mother is? Please let me know, but for now, I will use * Charlotte Henning-Sullivan. I thought it was a fitting name, (If you take away the A,R, and the T's you get Chloe.) I was happy when I found that out, as a matter of fact it amused me for about ten minnutes. BUt hey! It's better than doing homework right? :) 


	5. Chapter five: Discoveries

Author note: I'm sorry I think this is where the inventive titles dissappear...... They seem to fit the ch's tho... look for Ch 6 next week....this is a short chapter, but I promise you that the next one will be better. I promise

The Seeds of Evil

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by S. Ann Smith

Chapter five: Discoveries

Pete, Chloe, Lana and Clark all had Biology together, and as Pete walked her to Class Chloe swore that she heard the Jockstraps' Cheerleader- girlfriends, whispering about her. 

She could practically hear their whispered conversation: 

"How did she go from Spring Formal-Date-Of-Clark Kent to Girlfriend-of-Lex Luthor?" 

"Just going through the friends isn't she?" 

"I want to know what he sees in her." 

"Well we all know that she sees his money." 

"Or may be his body, I wouldn't mind being her.Hey stop glaring at me." 

Chloe stopped glaring when she entered the classroom. What right do they have when it comes to judging her when they are the most oblivious in the whole school? 

When Pete and Chloe walked into the classroom, Lana and Clark were holding hands, and talking. 

"I can't do this." Chloe mumbled, turning around. Pete firmly grabbed her small shoulders, and turned her around. 

"Yes you can." He urged pushing her into her seat. "I know you can." 

When the teacher came in Lana hurried into her seat beside Chloe. She beamed her, possibly, 100 watt smile full of adorable sweetness,of course, and Chloe tried her hardest to smile back just as big as one. 

Chloe tried her damnedest to pay attention to Darwin's theory of Natural Selection and Evolution, but much to her dismay, the teacher's dull droning almost made her fall asleep. When the dismissal bell rang, 

Chloe nearly ran out of the classroom, avoiding imploring eyes, and inquisitive glances from Lana. 

Chloe was sure she almost broke the speed limit when she left the parking lot, but a ticket was worth it if her mother had moved, and wasn't still in Grandville. 

She found herself at the Talon three minutes later.

Scanning the room as she walked through the big glass doors, Chloe saw Lex sitting at a small table reading the Ledger. He was wearing a black business suit, and shiny black shoes. On he table in front of him was a Manilla Envelope. 

She silently walked over to him, and sat down. 

"Hello Chloe." He said as he folded the newspaper. He placed it on the coffee table adjacent to them. 

"Did you find anything on my mother?" she asked quickly. Chloe wasn't going to let him change her mind about this. Her mind insisted. 

"Yes." He said handing her the envelope. He took a sip of his coffee and watched her open it. 

Inside there was a marriage, birth, and death certificates, a report, and several pictures. 

"Charlotte Marie Henning was born December 5, 1960, to the prominent Henning family of Metropolis." Lex repeated the first line in the report. "She lives in Metropolis and works for the Metropolis Inquisitor's publicity section." He watched Chloe's now expressionless face. 

She was looking at the pictures of the woman she used to call mom. She had changed since the pictures that Chloe had in her cedar box. Charlotte's blonde hair was back in a ponytail and her face, so similar to Chloe's smiled vividly back at her. 

"Can you take me to Metropolis Lex?" she asked quickly. 

"Are you sure? She probably has her own life now Chloe." He said in his usual monotonic fashion. 

"But you don't know that!" her voice was getting louder, and her temper flared. She stood up abruptly, causing her chair to scrape along the linoleum floor. 

"Sit down Chloe." He said in the same tone, looking at her now enraged face. 

"Will you take me to Metropolis?" she asked in a similar tone to his. She shifted her weight from one hip to another. 

"Will you sit down?" He replied casually. 

She sat down. "Take me to Metropolis," she said pausing, "Or should I just drive myself?" 

"I'm not taking you to Metropolis Chloe; you're going to stay here." He said. 

This wasn't good enough she decided getting up. 

She pivoted on her heel and left Lex sitting there at the table with his mouth gaping. He closed his mouth and smiled. 

A/N Like i said earlier, the next ch is longer. And there's a special Guest star in the next Ch.... But i'm not telling you who..... so you'll just have to wait, now won't you?


	6. Chapter six: Mothers Dearest

Author note: CH 6!!! yay... This Ch. showcases three mother's-one loving, one distant, and one evil-gone good....although I'm sorry to say, there's only one more Ch (or pobably two, or three i haven't decided yet) after this one...... But alas! there will be more CHLEX fics comin up from me.... Including a Valentines fic that will be up hopefully by next week....

The Seeds of Evil

__

by S. Ann Smith

Chapter six: Mothers Dearest(s)

Chloe and Pete were sitting in her car just outside the Metropolis Inquisitor.

"Why'd you drag me along?" Pete protested to his best friend for the seventh time, this hour. There had been, of course three of these hours, prior to the one they were in now.

She sighed. Obviously aware of the amount of times he had previously asked the same question. She hadn't given him an answer. 

"Because, if you weren't here, I probably would chicken out." She took a deep reasuring breath and began to open the door. She stopped when she saw her.

Charlotte, Chloe's mother, was leaving the Inquisitor's main building, a new copy of the magazine under her arm.

She wore a black pinstripped buisness suit, with a white shirt underneath, she wore black pumps to finish it off. Chloe obviously had recieved just a little bit of fashion sense from her mother. Gabe had little or no fashion sense at all, and that's what made Chloe love him so much.

"Pete," Chloe's voice was barely above a whisper, "There she is." She pointed to the lady leaving the building.

"She looks like you." Pete said in a confirmation to nobody in particular. "Well, go on....Hello?"

She wasn't listening anymore. Actually she hadn't been listening in hte first place, but that was because of the woman who used to be her mother. Chloe's eyes were firmly trained on her mother, and the man who was holding her hand as they walked across the street.

The man, no older thatn Gabe, was distinguishinly handsome,. He was now holding the door to a blue Lincoln.

Chloe just sat there staring, watching, as Charlotte and the man drove by them.

Chloe did nothing, but watch, until they were out of sight around the corner.

She looked down, defeated, and started her car.

"So that's it then? You're just going to let her leave?" Pete asked as if it was the most unbelievable thing in the world and belonged on _Ripley's Believe it or Not_. She didn't answer and pulled out of her parking spot

"_You're _quitting? Stop the press we have a new cover story! I can picture it now, Chloe Sullivan, _Quits_!" He stopped joking when he saw that she wasn't laughing. " Come on Chlo, you never quit."

"I do now." She said her eyes never leaving mainstreet Metropolis.

"Why?" He asked the one word so simply that it really made her think for a minute. Why was she quitting anyways?

After about three minutes, which enevidably felt alot longer, Chloe answered. "Because she has her own life now, she doesn't need me fucking it up for her."

"That's never stopped you before, why now?" _Did Pete just say I was nosy? The ass!_

"Maybe I'll try some other time." She smiled not very convinced herself that there would be another time. She turned down the road that would eventually lead to the three way intersection that would lead them to Smallville.

A few hours later, they were driving down mainstreet Smallville. Chloe's cell phone rang.

"Talk to me." She said chipperly into the phone.

"I see you didn't go through with it." A recognizable voice on the other end said confirming the painfully obvious truth.

"Are you at the Talon?" She asked listening carefully to the indecipherable noises in the background.

"No, Try again." The billionaire's voice teased from the other end.

She listended carefully to he noise in the background and was rewarded with the roar of an expensive vehicle.

"No fair!You're going somewhere!" She protested.

"So what if I am?" He asked her nonchalantly.

She pulled into the Talon's parking lot to drop Pete off. "Just a second, dearie," She said to the phone, her voice reeking of false sweetness. Then to Pete she said, "Thank you Pete, even though nothing happened."

"No problem, what are friends for, and besides I feel special, you put 'dearie' on hold for me." He smiled a silly grin. "Bye Chlo," Pete obvilously didn't know who 'dearie' was.

"Bye Pete."

"I'm getting impatient Chloe" Lex's voice said smiring on the other end. Obviously Lex had trained his voice to smirk, because it did.

"Patience is a virtue."

"Meet me here." He said changing the subject. 

Chloe heard the beep of an electrical alarm,a nd a creak of a rought iron gate.

He was at the mansion. Her perceptive journalism senses told her. As the thought ran through her mind, the phone cut off, and Chloe only heard silence.

Chloe quickly turned off her phone, and sped towards the Luthor's ancestrial mansion.

~*~*~

Once there Chloe watched the gate mysteriously open allowing her ot enter the premisis of the Luthor family estate.

Lex was waiting for her inside the big, solid oak doors.

Without saying a word, he motioned for her to come in, with his sexy bald head. She followed him into the enourmously magnificent estate that was his home. Her eyes grew when she saw where he was taking her.

She had been here before. Many times before-but not too many times to actually know what the upstairs looked like. She had only been in the ballroom, the banquet hall, and the study-not that she kept track or anything.

She silently followed him into an empty sitting room. He motioned for her to sit, and sat across from her when she did.

He licked his lips quickly befor speaking. "My mother died when I was very young, Chloe." He looked down at his hands. "I just thought you would need someone to talk to who has lost their mother too. I never wanted sympathy-from anyone- and I learned fast, to hide my emotions from my father." He stopped, and as only Lex Luthor could do, turned full stop ,and looked deep into Chloe's eyes. "Would you like anything?"

She shook her head,no.

"No, I know what you need." He said in that confirming-Lex way of his, as a devillish grin spread across his face. "Or at least what I need." He stood up, and to the semi shock of Chloe, sat beside her. "You need a hug" he stated with a triumphant tone, one that,she was sure, the first scientist that shouted 'Eureka' would have had, if he were a Luthor. But of course the 'Eureka' man was probably employed by a Luthor. He smiled, "And it's your lucky day, because I'll be obliged to give you one." He welcomingly held out his pale arms.

As if given release, she hugged him close. She so comforted by this selfless act from Lex, that she oped up the flood gates. She cried the tears she had felt when Clark had shown her the paper and said what he did. She cried the tears tha t she felt when she saw her mom and the strange man. She just cried-like there was no tomorrow.

Once she couldn't cry any more, she pulled out of his arms, wiped her tears, and kissed his lips softly. When she began to pull away, he pulled her closer to him, and deepened the kiss.

"Master Lex..." A stuffy british accent said coming into the room, "...I'm sorry! I didn't realize-" Lex quickly pulled away vrom Chloe.

"Of course you didn't realize." He shot back at the butler.

"It's just .. Sir, there is a Miss Kyle here to see you." The butler looked from Chloe to Lex nervously.

"Chloe, you should go." He said quietly. 

"Why?" She dared him, her eyebrow raised. _Who was this 'Miss Kyle'?_

"Because Selena is an old friend." He stated simply. "Not *_that_* kind of friend." He corrected her when she rose her eyebrow a second time.

"Then I can stay." She smiled as she relaxed in the big green couch. Lex gently laced his fingers with hers.

"Fine, you can stay, but you should go home afterwards." He smiled warmly at her. "I don't want Gabe to be worried." Then he spoke to the flabberghasted butler, " send Selena in." The butler bowed respectfully and opened the door.

"Lex, i need your Hel-Hello. Selena Kyle, you are?" the blonde woman, who was now standing at the edge of the couch asked Chloe.

"Chloe Sullivan." Chloe smiled.

"Continue." Lex urged, noticing the small child peeking out from behind Selena's jeans. "Hello Helena." He said. The small brunette quickly hid behind Selena's jeans again.

"I need your help Lex." She looked right into his eyes. "Bruce left me, and I was just fired-can you spot me the rent?"

"For how long?"

"Just to help me get back up on my feet."

"How about I get you a secretorial job at the New Gotham Police Station? Gordan could always use the help."

"How about somewhere else?" She asked nevously, her face going paler than the marble on the coffee tables.

"Museum perhaps?" She remained pale. "How about Arkam. Do you want to visit some old friends Selena?" he spat at her with a trademark smirk.

"Come on Helena." She angrily said, picking up the small girl.

"Good bye Misther Loother" Helena waved a chubby hand over Selena's shoulder.

Lex waved at the little girl. "Selena!" Lex called in a very commanding voice. "I'll spot you the rent, until you get back on your feet, don't take my remarks out on Helena." Selena stopped in her spot.

"I would never hurt my daughter Mr. Luthor. Don't worry you won't have to support us for long." came the cold response from Selena Kyle. She left the room surprisingly colder than it had been before she had entered.

"Go home Chloe. I have a few phone calls to make for Miss Kyle." He turned to her and kissed her gently. With his thumb he traced the gentle contours of her face. She nodded.

~*~*~

She drove home, her lips tingling, and her mind searching for logical answers to Selena Kyle, and Lex's illogical actions.

Lana was still at the Talon, and her father was still at work. This relieved Chloe, as she didn't feel like talking to either of them right now. She brewed herself a pot of coffee and got to work. She had a new motivation for the time being.

She opened up her laptop, to look up Selena Kyle. Chloe just didn't trust her, and her instincts were rarely wrong. Chloe was confused about alot of things about this woman, and her past. Lex had offended her merely by mentioning the Police Department, Museum and someplace called Arkham.

Chloe just felt that she had to get to the bottom of this Selena Kyle. She had to.

Author note: I know I know, very long.... but I did warn you...... now the above circumstances I totally made up... I have no idea as to what happened in early-Helena Kyle times, but i just thought I'd make Lex seem even more evil.... not that the incident in ch 3 wasn't evil enough... I haven't finnished the next ch yet, so I don't know how long it will take to post it... I'm only like 1/3 finnished if that.... Finals are over now so I hope I'll be posting more than I have been...*sigh* I hate finals. 

~S


	7. Chapter seven: Grounded For Life?

Author note: Wow a creative title! I'm impressed with myself...

The Seeds of Evil

__

by S. Ann Smith

Chapter seven: Grounded from Coffee

Chloe found almost nothing on Selena Kyle.

She also found that Arkam was an asylum, mostly for deranged psycho criminals,a dn the not so sane population of Gotham City.

It was as if Selena Kyle had merely vannished after high school. _Hiding under rocks are always effective._ Her mind thought idly as she read the information that was now shining off of her computer screen.

__

Arkham Asylum,in Gotham City, houses the town's critically insane, and most dangerous criminals.

Just the one statement tempted Chloe. 'Critically insane' didn't seem to fit Selena Kyle's profile, and so she decided to explore all options- which just so happened to be Chloe's territory.

"So, either Selena Kyle is insane, or a criminal." She frustratedly mumbled aloud to herself.

"Looking for more insnae criminals? Don't we have enough on our hands?" Chloe jumped in her office chair when she heard the male voice behind her. She turned to see the smiling face of...

"Pete." She was both relieved to see him because he wasn't Clark, and wanted to stab him with a pen for scaring the living bejeezus out of her. "What are you doing here?" she suspiciously furrowed her eyebrows at the silly grin plastered on her bestfriend's face.

"Stalking the elusive Marrissa Compton- I really need a date for the dance." He smiled, he had successfully imitated the Crocodile hunter. This caused Chloe to roll her eyes, Pete could have any girl in the entire school-save her and Lana- and he chose to chase after the hard to get ones. 

"Can you correspond for me at the dance?" It was pete's turn to furrow his eyebrows.

"Why? You aren't going?"

"No, I think I have other plans." She bit her lip and looked towards the computer screen nervously.

She knew very well that she couldn't tell Pete about her and Lex- Pete would probably kill him- If of course, Pete found out, and _if _ there even was a 'her and Lex'. Judging from the past few days, there was.

"Like?" He urged not noticing her lapse.

"I might be busy- other Torch stuff, and some other stuff." She smiled sympathetically. Still looking at the screen she tried to pay littlye or noattention to the dirty thoughts of 'other stuff' she could possibly be _doing_ the night of the dance. Most of these involved chocolate, whipping cream and strawberries.

"Okay," he paused, "but you owe me big time." 

"Lunch and coffee for a week?" she asked as if these deals were made regularily.

"You got yourself a deal." He grinned cheekily and anxiously looked out the door way. "I gotta run. I'll pick the camera up later." He said as he quickly ran out the door, chasing and cutting off Marrissa Compton in the process.

Chloe smiled. Pete will always be chasing down some poor girl or another. I he didn't he woldn't be pete- He'd be Clark. She smiled satisfied at her very true analogy.

She logged off of her computer, feeling like she had accomplished nothing, and headed into the maze of students to her locker, and evidently, her car keys.

She really really needed a coffee.

Her wish was granted at the Talon. A happier Chloe left with a glorious gift from the coffee gods. Just when she was feeling better about accomplishing nothing- her cellphone rang.

"Hello?"

"Chloe?"

"Dad?"

"Would you mind explaining to me why there is a dozon red, and white roses, along with a dozon coffee plants sitting in our living room right now-that are _for you_"

Chloe almost choked on her coffee. "Uh..."

"And why is my boss giddy. You wouldn't have any idea as to why that is? Would you?"

"Lex is giddy?" She was holding back her laughter, as she walked out the big front doors. Lex Luthor- giddy, not words you would expect to hear in te same sentance.

"Are you... are you dating Mr. Luthor?" he asked cautiously. She wasn't expecting that one.

"Which one?" she asked just as cautiously. _Oh shit!Oh shit! _ her brain began to panic, and her dad immediately knew.

"Young Lady! You are going to be grounded until-" His voice seemed both mortified and angry at once.

"Until?" she asked meekly, no cheeky responce, none was necessary. She knew that she would be in even more trouble if she said anything else.

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet, but it will be a very very long time-Hello _Mr. Luthor_." her father's voice became very welcoming, or was that cold, and sarcastic-either way it gave Chloe the creeps. "Would you like to speak to your girlfriend, or should I finnish grounding her first?"

Lex gave an indecipherable answer, and as she figured, spoke into the phone. "Hi."

"_You_ were giddy?"

"Gabe, didyou give Chloe the notion that I was giddy." Lex asked, his voice muffled.

She heard her father's muffled answer- "Yes"

"I wasn't giddy." he nakedly denied.

"Then what were you?" she asked raising her eyebrow, knowing very well that he couldn't see it. She pulled into her driveway, stopping at her mailbox.

"Lana already got the mail." he said softly, making her feel like a complete idiot.

"I thought you were just the obvious police not psychic." She countered. Nobody makes Chloe Sullivan feel like an idiot- even Lex isn't blessed with that option. "Aha! I've got mail."Chloe said triumphantly.

"I know." she looked at the return address of the small letter in her hand. it was from Lex.

"Hey! No fair!" she said with the smallest of hints of false anger. "Why are you sending me mail?"

"Just read it, I have to go. Bye." he said quickly into the phone.

"Bye." she said softly, dissappointed that he had to leave.

Her dad came back on to deliver her sentance.

"No Talon, Torch work is to be done at home. Lana will be watching you when I can't-" he was cut off by his very angry daughter.

"No Talon?! Why are you punnishing Lana?" She asked as she entered the house.

"I'm not! _She_ isn't dating a man six years her senior! _Her _face isn't plastered across america." he snippily replied, much in Chloe fashion.

"Can I at least spend an hour at The Talon?" she begged. It was horribly bad. Chloe Sullivan was reduced to begging. Wouldn't Pete love to see that. He'd probably pay big tickets to see that one. 

"We have coffee at home."

"Not _Talon _coffee." She said it like it was a gift from the gods.

"Fine. Open and close with Lana, an hour in total." He spoke as if it was his idea in the first place.

"Thank you Daddy." She said her mood slightly higher than it was prior to her new restriction. She could handle an hour a day in the Talon, idiotically drinking hot black coffee until her sentance was up. Chloe decided as she flipped through the Ledger sitting on the table. "I gotta go Daddy, I've gotta do my chores, or the warden might arrest me." She said smiling into the phone.

"Bye Sweetie, See you at six."

She hung up the phone, and more closely scrutinized the paper infront of her. She dropped her purse when she read the headlines of page two. 

'Local man dead on Lex Corp property'

She desperately needed a coffee. What had happened that night at the address that she and Lex had stopped at breifly before their date? She wondered as she idly fingered the letter in her hand.

She opened the cream envelope desperate for answers.

__

Dearest Chloe,

TBC...

Ohhh another cliff hanger... ^_~


	8. Chapter eight: Confronting the Odds

Author note: Another-well sort of creative title... this ch links the next ch to the rest.

The Seeds of Evil

__

by S. Ann Smith

Chapter eight: Confronting All Evils

__

'Dearest Chloe, 

My dearest Chloe. 

I love you. If you don't love me, I understand. How could you after what I've done, all that I could do. As stubborn as I may seem, I know I can trust you to keep this one secret: Mr. Kent is right. I am a horrible, horrible person who deserves what is coming for him, worthy of the Luthor name. 

I understand if you never ever want to see me again after I tell you this. I have killed, 

Chloe, I killed so many people, not because I wanted to, but because I felt I had to, to save the buisness, and to save myself. Call it feelings of rejection from my early adolescence, what ever, maybe even parental issues... but that aside, I thought you should know. 

I'm sorry Chloe, but I don't want to hurt you, or to make you suffer my mother's fate for falling in love with a Luthor. I love you too much. We Luthors have a family curse, the women we love, and marry die young. My mother was barely in her mid-thirties. 

I think it's the price for our money. I don't want you to suffer through our curse Chloe, if I continue to see you I'm afraid I'll lose you. 

Love Lex' 

Chloe let the paper fall to the ground. 

What did he mean? He's afraid to lose her? But wasn't he losing her by pushing her away like that? 

Extremely confused and disoriented, Chloe finnished her few chores, and stumbled into her room. 

Crying face down on her bed was how Lana found her. 

"Chloe?" She asked concerned. The concerned all-mighty-perfect-one recieved a very angry grunt from face-down Chloe, who wasn't impressed at the farcity that called itself Life. 

After all that she had been through this past week, losing Clark's friendship, all that shit about her mother, reading some very unpleasant articles about her, and having her face plastered nation-wide, was all a waste. A waste because a certain tantalizingly sexy bald billionaire decided that he didn't want her to get hurt. 

"Chloe?" Lana repeated worried. 

" I feel like I've been hit by a Semi..." 

"Why? What happened?" 

"I think Lex just dumped me..." 

"You think? Wouldn't you be positive?" 

"You're very optimistic." came the glum reply from the smothered girl. 

"Where's the Chloe I know? Where is the Chloe that would normally storm down to 

whoever made her feel this way, and give him the what for?"

Chloe froze. Maybe Lana was right. Maybe she should get off her bed and give Lex shit for the way he made her feel.

Wait a minute... did she just hear Lana say what-for in one sentance, as an action? When did Lana ever say anything like that? Maybe some of that Sullivan Charm is rubbing off on her. That is if the Sullivan clan did have charm of any-sort - besides cracking the usual fertilizer jokes of course.

Poor Lana! She decided sitting up to look at her.

"Well, the Chloe you know is not here right now, and went on a coffee break, she will be back after she is finnished sorting through the emotions running throught her head right now. Can I take a message?" Chloe asked, mimicking their answering machine.

"Yeah, let me know when Chloe comes back from her coffee break. _I'll _go talk to Lex for her." Lana stood up and turned to leave.

Given a fresh bolt of unknown energy, which she had no clue where it came from, Chloe stood up and cut Lana off. "No you aren't." she declared, her sudden mood change causing a surprise to both her and Lana simultaneously. "I will."

Lana broke into a big goofy grin. Chloe had fallen for a very dirty trick on Lana's part. 

But it was too late now, and all Chloe could do was hope.

Hope for some miracle of nature to allow her to do what she had to do calmly and collected. It was just what she had to do that worried her. She didn;'t even know what that was at the moment. She hoped it would come to her soon.


	9. Epilogue: Scattering of seeds

A/N: Sorry for the shortness of the last one... I promise, this one will be longer... No real relevence to the title... unless you count the possible sequel that is roving around in my mind somewhere... Should I have a sequel?????... Is there any possibilities of a sequel in the somewhere future? 

Seed of Evil

By S. Ann Smith

Epilogue: Flower Petals

"What the hell is this?" Chloe stormed into the Talon, taking Lex by surprise.

"You know exactly what it is." He said nonchalantly, in typical Lex Luthor fashion.

Chloe looked at him like he was the stupidest creature this side of the milky way. "You are not going to treat me like I'm your father." She said angrily.

"I'm not," he replied not looking at her, more like through her. The sensation gave her the heebie-jeebies. "Obviously you aren't my father, I don't think I would have kissed _him_." he smirked.

"Very funny... Not. now you have to deal with a caffine deprived Chloe Sullivan, who just so happens to have had her world crash down upon her. No thanks to you." she spat bitterly.

"Coffee?" He offered slightly kinder, he was at least looking at her, that was a good sign right? She eagerly took his cup, and drank down at least half of what was in the cup.

"I'm sorry about your mother Lex, but I don't remember you ever being superstitious."

"You're right, but I just-"

"You don't want me to get hurt." she quoted. "Well guess what Mr. Genious-bald-billionaire," She looked him straight in the eye, "I'm hurting, and it's your fault. I didn't need to fall in love with you." There were slight tears forming in the corners of her eyes but she didn't need him to see that. That would hurt her even more than her mind could explain.

"Do you think that I did?" She quickly rubbed the tears and whipped her head around to look him right in the eyes.

"You did, what?" Was he serious? Or was her mind playing some odd trick on her?

"Chloe, I... I" He looked down at some invisible spot on the table in front of him. "I told you." He mumbled lamely finishing something that could have been more.

"Yeah,but you hurt me. I don't get hurt." She said sitting down. She needed to get to the bottom of what ever it was that had Lex so constricted, so lost for words, a first for him of course.

"And I don't fall in love after three dates." He smirked to himself. 

She didn't have anything to say to that. And had it been three dates already? Well there was the obvious first one, and that meeting at the Talon, and at the sort of one at the mansion. Okay, so it _had_ been three, even if two were just... Oh well, she was over thinking again.

"I love you Chloe." he said, slowly, trying to get the words out. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"If I get hurt, it's my fault alright? You have to give me a chance Lex."

He closed his mouth quietly, and looked intently at Chloe's sincere face. His expression changed slightly, as he leaned towards her.

"Just seeing if you were worth falling for." He smirked.

"And was I?" He leaned in surprisingly fast-which Chloe didn't expect- and kissed her softly. After about what didn't seem like too long-although it probably was a long time, because the coffee was cold- he pulled away.

"Definately."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

2004

~~~~

"Chloe! have you seen my coat?"

"Isn't it hanging on your door?" A pause.

"Found it."

It was an hour before the graduation of the graduating class of Smallville High School 2004.

Chloe Sullivan-as she was now referring to herself in third person, last name and all- now past her one year anniversary with notoriously rich billionaire Lex Luthor- even he was not immune to the plaguing third person illness that racked Chloe's mind.... okay she was just making it all up as she went, but she thought it was interesting to think about herself outside of her mind-strange yes, odd definately.

Lex was picking her up, not just her, no, Clark and Lana too. Pete still couldn't stand being within five feet of Lex for more than five minutes, and weas meeting them there.

Chloe and Clark made up-thanks to Pete and Lana- after a week of angry glares and tears. Chloe had spent the summer working at the Daily Planet, again, and had more than the necessary credits to graduate, and had made it into Metropolis University on her first application. Even though she was sure Lex had done something to make sure she made it in.

"Bye Dad. See you there." She called up the stairs.

"Bye hon, good luck." came the response, then: "wait, have you seen my tie?"

"Around your neck Dad."

"No, not that one, the goofy one" came the ashamed response.

She laughed and went out the door to her awaiting Lex. _Her_ Lex. Has a nice ring to it.

"Dad couldn't find his tie." she said getting in.

"Where was it?" Lex asked.

"Around his neck."

Lex chuckled, and said something along the lines of good old Gabe.

They picked up Clark and Lana, and headed to the massive building-although very tiny in comparison to the Met U campus- for the graduation ceremony.

"We the graduating class of 2004, would like to thank the teachers, for being very, and I can't emphasize this enough, very tolerant towards our football team's poor grades, and allowing us to become State champions!" The football jockstraps-Pete included- gave a cheer. 

As unbelievable as it was, Peter Ross was voted Valedictorian for 2004, Chloe was still in complete and total shock. She had gotten a GPA of 3.0, and had a better chance of becoming valedictorian than Pete, but he was the more popular one out of the two-as Chloe was massively hated by the end of the semester for the risquè article that she wrote for the Torch on some of the Jockstraps and bubblegum cheerleaders in the school.

She wasn't too sad, even though Clark had recieved a GPA of 3.2, which was only because he was so much better at Math than her- whoop-dee-do.

Pete was now finnished the 'brilliant' graduation speech that she had helped him write -even though it was only 'brilliant' in his family's eyes.

Chloe had gotten her diploma before said brilliant speech was given, and had saw her in the audience. Which of course surprised her, but was what surprised her more was that there were flowers sitting on her chair when she returned to her seat. 

Nobody knew where they came from, or at least nobody would say. When she turned to see _her_, she was gone. Disappeared into the night again-except minus the night, and with more people around. Right.

"Was I great? I was great."Pete smiled as he sat down across from her at the Talon. It was the post-grad, party. Lex was sitting just a breath away from her, Clark was staring after Lana, who was across the room serving some people.

"Yes you were great Pete." It didn't hurt to boost his ego just a little bit right? Okay it did, but Pete needed a bit of a boost- even though he was already floating.

"Hey Clark, you're drooling again." Lex said tapping his shoulder.

"Huh?" came the confused response.

Today was a day of closure for them all, but also, a day of new beginnings, new horizons, and new- okay so she was sounding like her dad, but it was true. New everythings - except High School, that was all over and done with. She needed a coffee her mind was too busy rambling again.

She sighed as she leant into Lex's firm yet gentle grasp. New everythings. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The End

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Wow over already... like I said, possible sequel...... so not really over-over....

Thank you to all you ppl who were here since the thirteenth of December-and through the insane ramblings and equally insane titles....

^-^ 

~S


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